Plants in the greenhouse complex at Guterman Lab.

SIPS Degrees & Programs

Gain critical skills to advance your knowledge and address local and global challenges.

The School of Integrative Plant Science is the largest academic unit in Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. It is composed of five sections with interrelated activities in the plant sciences: Horticulture, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, and Soil and Crop Sciences.

Degree programs

students at dilmun hill student farm
Undergraduate

The Cornell CALS plant sciences major prepares students for careers or further study in fundamental biology, plant breeding, pest and disease management and production of plants for food, fiber and ornamental uses.

students looking at rice plants
Graduate - M.S./Ph.D.

Graduate study in SIPS is organized into five graduate fields. Collectively these fields provide unparalleled opportunities to connect disciplines, creatively solve problems and integrate complex systems. Includes graduate fields of Horticulture, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, and Soil and Crop Sciences.

people driving a hemp harvester in the field
Graduate - Integrative Plant Science MPS

The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree in Integrative Plant Science is a one-year, course-based master's degree, ideal for individuals who are interested in in-depth study of the issues and advancements in plant and soil sciences.

Continuing education

Our school is committed to lifelong learning, offering a wide range of programming and skill building for children and adults alike. See featured education programs to take advantage of these opportunities, including online courses and seminar, garden tours and more.

News from the School of Integrative Plant Science

Learn about the many ways we are addressing some of the world's most urgent challenges.

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News

Chris Watkins elected ISHS Fellow
Watkins has served as the ISHS Division Postharvest and Quality Assurance Chair since 2018, and he was previously the chair of the ISHS Commission Quality and Postharvest Horticulture from 2014-2018. The society commended Watkins for his...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
fossil leaf

News

Secrets of an Extinct Landscape
The Gandolfo-Nixon lab studies the origin of Southern Hemisphere floras. “I initially became interested in the biogeographical patterns of extant plants—how these plants are distributed and how they have dispersed until they get to where we find...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
Fungus extending long filament-like structures far out into soil

News

Soil bacteria could improve crop yields, via fungi
Researchers know that a type of fungi called arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi establishes symbiotic relationships with the roots of 70% of all land plants. In this relationship, plants trade fatty acids for the fungi’s nitrogen and phosphorus...
  • Boyce Thompson Institute
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section

News

Meet our new faculty - spring 2021

  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics

Land Acknowledgment

Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ people, past and present, to these lands and waters.

This land acknowledgment has been reviewed and approved by the traditional Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ leadership. Learn more from the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program website.